Arrangement of slide-valves and exhaust-passages in steam-engines



WILLIAM C. HICKS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ARRANGEMENT 0F SLIDE-VALVES AND EXHAUST-PASSAGES IN STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,207, dated January 9, 1855.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WM. CLEVELAND HICKS, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of .Connecticut,`have invented anew and useful Improvement on Slide- Valves, called Hicks Improved Slide- Valve, of .which the following is a full and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawing, the same making part of this specification.

As waste steam does not escape from the cylinder through the saine area of opening with the same rapidity as that with which it enters the cylinder, in the form of live steam, various expediente have been resorted to to overcome this difficulty. In large engines separate valves with larger educting than inducting passages have been made use of for the purpose of accelerating exhaustion. But the new and rindependent idea which I claim to have originated is this, to contrive a mode of furnishing, in one slide valve, an area for exhaustion twice as great (or more) as the area of induction. The mechanism by which I accomplish this result is as follows: By one motion I open in one valve two or more ports for exhaustion of the steam from the cylinder, which has been introduced by one.

The invention has been practically tested and found very useful, and has been made the subject of a patent in England since it was originated by me.

Figure 1 is a view of the face of the valve. Fig. 2 is a section view of valve and valve seat made of the same materials as those in present use, the valve seat being cast on the side of a cylinder and the valve moving on its face steam tight.

A, B, and C, D, are ports connecting with the ends of the cylinder. A and D for admitting A, B, C, and D for exhausting steam from the cylinder. v

P and Q, are bars solid with the cylinder.

H is an exhaust port connecting with the air heater or condenser.

N,.K, L, O, is the valve with the bars K, L, castv across its face and solid with it.

E and F are flues for exhaust.

The action of the valve is as follows it being supposed to be moving toward the left, andthe steam confined in a steam chestpressing upon it. The port D is about to open to admit steam upon the piston at the right end of the cylinder, and the ports A and B are opening to release the waste steam fromA the left, making communication with port H. When the valve has moved far enough toward the left to open the port D wide, vit commences to move toward the right and moves until the port A is open wide, the piston acting toward the right.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The producing-(by one slide valve and valve seat) of two or more exhaust pas-' sages from each end of the cylinder, for each induction or steam port, substantially as in the manner described.

WM. CLEVELAND HICKS.

Witnesses;

LUcrUs F. ROBINSON, WILLIAM BENTON. 

